Ford's Hurricane defence
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ABOVE THE FOLD
FORD USES HURRICANE AS A SHIELD
Premier DOUG FORD has been playing defence over his hot-potato move to open up the Greenbelt — and his latest mechanism is the late HAZEL MCCALLION.
MPPs honoured the former longest-serving mayor of Mississauga and provincial adviser on Wednesday, offering heartfelt tributes in the House.
But when it came to Ford’s turn, he took the opportunity to defend controversial changes to the Greenbelt. “Hazel was a mentor, she was an adviser, but most importantly, she was a dear friend,” Ford began.
“I’ll tell you a story. I had her over and we went out for breakfast, and she sat down and she talked to me about how when she took the chair of mayor in 1978…there were cow pastures all throughout Mississauga — and now there are hospitals, there are homes, there are community centres, there are long-term-care centres, there are roads, there are transit systems.
“She said, ‘Doug, don’t listen to the naysayers. Don’t listen to no. We have a gr…